UFC 140 Fight Card: Jon Jones Leads a Trio of Exciting Light Heavyweights

After UFC 139's thrilling main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson, UFC 140 features a trio of exciting light heavyweights.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title against Lyoto Machida in the event's headliner.

However, before the young phenom brings his exciting style to the Octagon, two additional light heavyweights will set the stage for the night's main event.

Tito Ortiz: UFC 140

Tito Ortiz (16-9-1 MMA, 15-9-1 UFC) revived his career with an first-round submission victory over Ryan Bader earlier this summer at UFC 132.

Ortiz revamped his training camp which included adding boxing coach Jason Parillo along with strength and conditioning expert Michael Giovanni Rivera prior to the Bader win.

The former light heavyweight champion faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 140, where he looks to end his 2011 campaign in the win column.

Nogueira's career in the UFC has been less than ideal with back-to-back losses to Bader and Phil Davis.

Ortiz and Nogueira are both veterans of the sport, but at this stage in their careers Ortiz appears to be evolving more than his opponent.

Krzysztof Soszynski: UFC 140

Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returns to action for the first time since going under the knife for yet another knee operation.

Earlier this year, Soszynski told BleacherReport.com: "Maybe I’ll fight again at 85-90 percent."

If he's been fighting at anything less than 100 percent health for his past eight fights, his popularity amongst fans is sure to skyrocket when he steps inside the Octagon on December 10 in Toronto.

Soszynski's victories over Brian Stann, Andre Gusmao and Stephan Bonnar were fantastic fights that helped in relating his name with exciting fights.

His thrilling fights with Bonnar at UFC 110 and UFC 116 are the type that can shorten a career, but they also build a fighter's legacy as one who possesses an massive amount of heart and determination to claim victory.

Needless to say, Igor Pokrajac (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) should expect to participate in arguably his toughest fight to date inside the Octagon.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones: UFC 140

The light heavyweight champion of the world returns in the main event at next month's UFC 140 pay-per-view main event opposite Lyoto Machida (17-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC).

Since his successful organizational debut at UFC 87 in 2008, Jones (14-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has displayed a fan-friendly fighting style.

His dominant victory over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 opened the eyes of fans and media that there was a young force at 205 lbs.

Victories over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Ryan Bader, Brandon Vera and the aforementioned Stephan Bonnar were awe-inspiring performances.

Jones is an unpredictable fighter that has the ability to land devastating strikes standing and on the ground, which has led him to be the king of the light heavyweight division.

On December 10, Jones makes his second title defense when he faces the former champion at Air Canada Centre.